March 22, 2012 12:00 am

By Dave Zuchowski / 

Astrologer Cathy Bednar says that the date Dec. 21 of this year -- the so-called last day on the Mayan calendar -- is generating the kind of interest and fear as did the Y2K at the cusp of the millennium.

"The Long Count Mayan calendar, which runs for a total of 5,125 years, ends on Dec. 21 this year, also the date of the winter solstice, and many people are curious about it," said Ms. Bednar, who will deliver a talk on the subject at 6:30 tonight at the Oakmont Carnegie Library, 700 Allegheny River Blvd.

The calendar comes from the Mesoamerican civilization from about 250 to 900 A.D., when advanced mathematics and primitive astronomy flourished. The calendar was used in Central America prior to the arrival of Europeans.

Ms. Bednar said the talk, which is free and open to the public, is titled "The Astrological Connections of Dec.21, 2012; the End of the Mayan Calendar."

"I've had a lot of people ask me what I thought about something happening on a catastrophic level on that date and I thought I'd put the topic out for discussion," she said.

In her talk, she'll encourage questions and give her audience connections associated with the date from an astrological point of view.

She'll also hand out visuals such as astrological charts and posters on astrology. She said her talk won't be a history lesson on the Mayans, but an astrological exploration of the date.

"Because the [Mayan] calendar seems to be running out on Dec.21, some people are thinking of it in terms of being the end of the world," she said. "In reality, it is likened to an odometer that reaches the count of 999, then turns over one digit to become 000."

Ms. Bednar likened the heightened interest in eschatology -- the study of the end of times -- is similar to the Y2K scare "in that some people thought the turn of the millennium would be a disaster."

One belief held by some people holds that the planets will align in such as way on Dec.21 -- the sun will be aligned with center of the Milky Way for first time in 26,000 years -- that the solar system will collapse.